


The New York Legacy

by TheDevilWithin3



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Abuse, George Washington is a Dad, Henry Laurens' A+ Parenting, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24239275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDevilWithin3/pseuds/TheDevilWithin3
Summary: Alexander Hamilton is going to make a legacy of his name. The best way to do that? Get a job at a place called "The New York Legacy," a famous newspaper publishing company. There, Alex is going to make friends, enemies, and a home.The work place has the best people, what can go wrong? It's not like Alex is going to meet someone who he wished was his dad, or someone who has adorable freckles and a perfect smile, but is a complete dick. No... not at all.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, John Laurens & George Washington
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> dont... dont say it... what is this? my... my fifth fic in the makings? I HAD TO. I LOVE THIS PLOT SO MUCH.
> 
> also im going to be working on the format this story. i transfer my writing from a google doc to this, so it the platform automatically puts a space in between all the paragraphs, stretching it all out. im going to keep it that way for that, and see how it looks. tell me if you guys have a preference of it getting stretched out or being compacted like most of my other fics. 
> 
> also, also... the first chapter is pretty long compared to what i have my others be... this one took up 10 pages... normally my chapters are 4. im changing the format for this story :D
> 
> (tags will be added as the story progressed)

Alexander Hamilton was going to make a legacy out of his name. He’d gotten hired by a famous newspaper publisher, George Washington, and it was his first day. He was going to meet his coworkers, he was going to make friends, and he was going to work his way to the top. And of course, the name of their publishing company? _The New York Legacy_. 

Alex had just entered the building when he accidentally bumped into someone. The entrance of the three story office was large, there only being receptionists on that floor. The person he’d bumped into was trying to deliver coffee to someone before Alex had accidentally shoved the worker to the ground, causing them to drop their cups. 

“I’m so sorry!” Alex exclaimed, immediately kneeling down and picking up the cups of coffee, straightening up so they wouldn’t spill on the shiny floor more. The worker stood up and Alex saw it was a young woman, a brunette. She was gorgeous. He also recognized her. Eliza Schuyler. 

“It’s quite alright, sir,” Eliza said with a small smile, probably forced. “George mentioned you.” Alex stared at the women for a moment before realizing who she was talking about. 

“Oh,” he said quickly. “Mr. Washington.” Eliza nodded and smiled again, this time more genuine. 

“Yes,” she laughed a little. “Everyone here calls each other by their first name. It’s not very professional but George insists on it.” Alex shifted on his feet a little and noticed that some other receptionists had started to stare at them. Eliza noticed his discomfort. “I can show you to the third floor, that’s where you’ll be working. Your office is right near George’s.” Alex nodded and helped clean up the coffee on the floor, then followed Eliza to the elevator. As they waited for it to come down, they stood in silence. Everyone had already gone back to work, so it wasn’t as awkward. 

“I’m Alexander Hamilton,” Alex said casually. Eliza made a small nod. 

“I know.” That’s all she said. They continued to wait for the elevator. Then Eliza opened her mouth. “Not to be rude, it’s just you probably already know me, and I know you.” Alex nodded, understanding how pointless it would be to introduce each other when they already knew each other’s names. 

When the elevator finally opened, there were two other men. One had lots of frizzy hair tied up in a bun, while the other who was a bit shorter, barely had any. Eliza smiled and stepped into the elevator. 

“Eliza,” the taller man greeted as the elevator door closed. “Who is your friend?” Eliza brushed her hair out a little. 

“Just Alexander Hamilton,” she said disinterestedly. The two other men nodded and shot Alex a strange look, to which he just shrugged at. 

“My name is Lafayette, this is Aaron Burr,” the taller man offered. Alex nodded and shifted again. This first day was going very awkwardly. 

Aaron shifted as well. “Eliza think’s you’re trying to hit on her,” he said suddenly. Lafayette mumbled something in French and Eliza blushed and turned to the wall. Alex just stared at Aaron, then Eliza. 

“I-” he stuttered. 

“It’s just,” Eliza interrupted. “I’m… I have a girlfriend, so it’d be best if you didn’t.” Alex only stared again before the elevator door opened and he stepped out. 

“I’m gay,” he said before the door closed. He didn’t notice how when he turned around Eliza tried to call out to him to tell him he was only on the second floor. Alex walked around the hallways, trying to find his way to George Washington’s office. The floor was different than what George had described over call. There weren’t nearly enough windows, and there weren’t many people in sight. 

Alex continued to walk around in the empty hallways before he saw another man. He was tall, maybe the same height as Lafayette, and his shoulders were broad. 

“Excuse me,” Alex called out. The man looked up and smiled. Then walked towards Alexander. “I was wondering if you knew where George Washington’s office was?” Alex saw a flash of recognition in the man’s eyes before it disappeared. 

The man nodded and looked around. “This is the second floor,” he started. “He’s on the third.” Alex suddenly realized and looked down and blushed. 

“Right,” he mumbled. “I knew that.” The other man just laughed a little. 

“My name is Hercules Mulligan,” he said. “You can call me Herc.” 

Alex nodded. “I’m Alexander Hamilton.” Hercules nodded and before he could say anything else Alex heard footsteps from behind him. He turned around and saw a tall man, almost exactly Lafayette’s height, and another man, Hercule’s height. Almost identical twins. Huh. 

“Mulligan,” the taller man drawled. He had an accent, Alex just couldn’t figure out where from. He heard Hercules sigh loudly and step in front of Alex. 

“Thomas,” Hercules shot back, obviously tired of the man. The guy beside Thomas looked bored when he met Alex’s eyes. 

“Is this Hamilton?” the stranger asked. Hercules nodded and introduced Alex to the two men. 

“Alexander,” he said with a bored voice. “This is Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.” Then Hercules rubbed his eyes with his hands and glared at Thomas. “Their third wheel should be here soon.” Alex noticed the tension between the three men and cleared his throat. 

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted. “Is there some sort of rivalry going on between the business?” That question got a laugh out of everyone, which most definitely sounded forced. 

“Oh, Hamilton,” Thomas drawled again. “You’ll learn soon enough.” His voice was mocking Alex, and he hated it. Finally, Hercules grabbed Alex’s arm and practically dragged him back to the elevator. The rest of the waiting was silent, and when the door opened the two were greeted by a group of people. Some of which he recognized. There was Eliza, Lafayette, and Aaron. Lafayette was the first to speak when Alex and Herc got out of the elevator. 

“Herc,” Lafayette said. “I can basically feel the heat radiating from you. Did you talk to Thomas again?” Everyone in the area immediately tensed, and Alex could only guess that those two men he met earlier had a bad reputation with these people. 

“Can I ask a question?” Alex asked. Everyone’s eyes shot to him and he cowered a little. “I was just wondering why everyone hates Thomas and James?” It was a loaded question, and everyone was shouting over who got to explain it. Eventually someone who he didn’t know took the lead. She was a woman, a bit taller than Alex himself, and she was also pretty like Eliza. He recognized her. Angelica Schuyler. They had a third sister somewhere, Peggy. Ah, Peggy was sitting lazily in a seat beside Eliza. 

“Thomas Jefferson,” Angelica said Thomas’ name as if it physically pained her. “Is the biggest southern dick I’ve ever met.” Yes, the south. That’s where the accent came from. 

“Why though?” Alex asked quietly. 

Angelica sighed and took a deep breath. “Thomas Jefferson is the biggest republican ever, and John is trailing in second place.” That caught Alex’s attention. 

“John? Is he the third wheel that Hercules was talking about?” Angelica shot Hercules a warning look, who looked away sheepishly. 

Eliza smiled at Alex. “I don’t know if I would call him a third wheel in front of Thomas and James, but yes, he’s their other friend.”

Alex nodded slowly. “So, why are they all great friends? I mean, just why?” 

“The three of them are from the south. They all have large family names, so they sort of connected that way. In all honesty though, James Madison is the best of them. I feel if we really tried, we could get him to leave them. But until we find a will to do so, there’s three dick bags,” Angelica said bitterly. 

“Oui,” Lafayette agreed. “I barely speak to them, the only person I’ve had an actual conversation with was with Thomas. I don’t know much about James’ or John’s views.” 

“No matter,” Eliza said to Alex. “Don’t let our opinions define how you feel about them.” Alex nodded and then realized how no one was doing any of their work. 

“Do you guys just lounge here and gossip about people?” he joked. Everyone cracked a smile and were about to start a new topic when the elevator door dinged open. Everyone turned around, Alex a bit slower than the others, and saw the most beautiful man ever. He was tall, not as tall as Lafayette, but taller than Alex. He had curly hair, reddish and a bit brown. It was tied up in a ponytail, but despite his hair being tamed by a hair tie, it was still wild. And then, Alex looked at his face. His face was covered with freckles, he was perfect. The only thing that caught Alex off guard was how all his new coworkers were staring at the man. They all looked at him with disgust. The man stepped out of the elevator and was about to walk past the group when he saw Alex. He stopped and examined the scene. 

“Can I help any of you?” he asked. It wasn’t sarcastic, it wasn’t rude. It was a genuine question, like he was trying to actually help. Alex didn’t understand what was going on. Only when Angelica spoke he put the clues together. 

“What are you doing up here, John?” Despite how professional Angelica was trying to be, the venom was there. Alex’s eyes widened. _This_ was John. The big, southern, republican. 

The man, John, ignored Angelica and looked at her sister, Peggy, with a small smile. “Now I remember,” he said. His voice was soft and caring. How could these people hate him? “I have those copies done and printed, I just wanted to run them through with you.” Everyone looked at Peggy, and saw how she stood up from her desk and nodded with a shaky smile. 

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’ll come down to your office after lunch to go over it.” With that, John gave one last nod to everyone and walked away. The vicinity was quiet for a solid ten seconds before everything exploded. 

“You had John do the copies?” 

“Why didn’t you ask me?” 

“How did you even get him to help you?” 

“He didn’t yell at you?” 

Peggy silenced everyone and straightened up. “Lafayette, you know I would’ve asked you, but you’ve been so busy with the other papers, and John was there when I was freaking out. He offered, alright?” Angelica scowled at her sister but said nothing more, as did Eliza. Once the buzz was over everyone left the crowded entrance to the floor and went back to work. That’s when Alex remembered he had to meet George Washington, probably twenty minutes ago… shit. Then Alex also remembered that he pretty much outed himself to everyone… he could talk about that later, they didn’t seem to care. So Alex quickly looked around the floor to see if he could find George’s office anywhere. He eventually found himself upon a big door with a desk in front of it, an older man sitting there boredly. 

“Excuse me,” Alex asked, causing the man to look up. “Do you know where George Washington’s office is? I was supposed to meet him a while ago…” The man just looked at him blankly before checking through some papers, then looking back up. 

“Right. Twenty five minutes ago,” the man said strictly. Alex tensed and tried to keep eye contact with the other man, before he looked away, feeling embarrassed. “He’s in a meeting right now. He’ll see you in ten minutes.” With that, the man, secretary probably, stood up and headed to a different room down the hallway, maybe the breakroom. Alex tried to calm himself and took a step closer to the door, leaning against the wall beside it. He just had to remain calm and his job would still be there. 

“You really should keep an eye on those rugrats,” John observed as Washington walked around the room, searching for a missing file John had brought up earlier. “I can’t walk on this floor without them thinking I’m trying to rob them.” Washington sighed and pulled out a folder from underneath a book, and scanned through it, before sitting back down on his desk and looking at John, who was swirling around in his chair. 

“I can’t change their views,” Washington started. “Maybe try being more social with them. Hang out with them more, maybe stray away from Thomas and James.” John scoffed and stilled, then straightened up in his chair. 

“Who’s the new kid?” John asked after a few moments. Washington scribbled something down on a file and cleared his throat. 

“Someone I hired a week ago. He was supposed to come in for his first day half an hour ago, I believe,” Washington replied, yet he didn’t seem angry about it. John noticed that. 

“You don’t care?” 

Washington shrugged and smirked up at the guy. “Why should I? I never care when it comes to you.” That sealed the deal. John stood up and muttered something under his breath, then yanked open the door to be startled by the new employee staring blankly at him. 

“John,” the man greeted. John ignored him, just continued to mutter something and shoved past the guy. Alex glared at him before inviting himself into George’s office, sitting down in the seat where John had previously been spinning around in. 

“Nice for you to finally join me,” George said, no bite behind it. “I see you’ve met a couple of my workers already.” Alex nodded motioned to where John had gone. 

“What’s up with that rivalry they have? Everyone seems to hate him and Thomas,” Alex asked. George neatened up some of his papers and ignored Alex’s comment. 

“I want you to get comfortable with the workers on the third floor, it’s where you’ll be working most of the time,” he explained. “If there is some need for you to go down to the second floor, I want you to phone John Laurens through the desk phone you’ll be assigned.” Alex blanched at this. Of course the republican would have to be someone he had to work with daily. 

“With all respect,” Alex interfered. “Is it really good for me to be in contact with him?” He noticed how George shifted in his seat and finally looked Alex in the eye. Alex tried not to flinch. He knew George was trying to read him. 

“You seem like a good guy,” George said. “I hope you won’t fall in with those childish games the two floors have going on. You will phone John Laurens if you need to go to the second floor. Don’t let what those people think get in your head. He’s a good guy.” Alex tried not to roll his eyes at that. John seemed like a pretty big dick so far, especially since he practically shoved Alex. But if his boss asked for it… he would give John a chance. Just one. 

“Yes, sir,” Alex mumbled. 

“Another thing,” George added. “I’m sure you’ve gotten the idea that we call people by their first names around here.” Alex thought back to when Thomas called Hercules “Mulligan” and Alex “Hamilton.” George read his mind and sighed, “The second floor runs things differently than the third floor.” 

Alex nearly laughed at that. “You’re the boss,” he said. “Don’t you have control over that?” George shook his head and turned around in his chair, staring at something Alex couldn’t see.

“I’m just here to keep the kids from murdering each other,” George said. “I’m not just assigning you to John, I hope you know that.” Alex perked up curiously. 

“What do you mean?” 

“The meeting I had with John before this, it was about making him in charge of his floor. That’s why I thought it would be best to have everyone phone him if they needed to visit that floor. I didn’t have anyone in charge of it before, which is why everything was sort of a mess before,” George explained. 

Alex guessed that made sense. “Why John? Why not Thomas? He seems to be more talkative about the company.” George shrugged again and turned to face Alex. 

“I trust John. I hope you can learn to, and when you do, help your friends do the same.” It took Alex a moment for him to realize George was talking about the sisters, Lafayette, Aaron, and Hercules. Friends… were they his friends? 

George suddenly rose from his seat and motioned to the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe this meeting is over. I need to speak to Thomas about something.” As George made his way around his desk, Alex dared look at what he was looking at earlier. It was a photo hanging on the wall. It wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small. It was perfectly sized. In the time he had, he saw that George Washington had his arm around a woman, they were both smiling. It was probably his wife. What caught Alex’s eye though was the person to the right of George. There stood someone who was shorter than George by at least five inches, it was a guy. He looked young. He had curly hair which was just on his shoulders, free. Alex stepped a bit closer to see that the man, no, not man, he was young, like teenage years. The kid had freckles. It was John Laurens. 

“Alexander?” Alex jumped and saw George was holding the door open for Alex to leave. But George didn’t not notice what Alex was looking at. The photo that was taken years ago, back when John was still just a kid. He wasn’t smiling in the picture, but he wasn’t scowling. He looked… comfortable. 

When Alex left George’s office, George bid Alex a good rest of his day, and told him that Angelica would be helping him out. Then George headed to the elevator. Alex walked around, trying to find his way to Angelica’s office, when he heard a big commotion in the main area, near the elevator. Alex quickly walked over to the sound, following the noise. There was the same group of people, crowding around someone's receptionist's desk. Alex recognized the person who was sitting in the computer was Peggy Schuyler. Her two sisters and Lafayette, Hercules, and Aaron, were staring wide at the screen. 

“I can’t believe this,” Lafayette said. 

“Why the fuck would he trust him with that rule?” Angelica shot out. Alex walked over and tapped Hercule’s shoulder, who turned around. 

“What’s happening?” 

Hercules sighed. “Apparently George promoted John Laurens to be the second floor’s sort of ‘boss,’ it’s shit.” Alex nodded. 

“Right… he did that.” 

“We just got an email about it,” Eliza added. “Now if we want to head to that floor, we have to call John about it. He’d probably yell at us or something.” 

“And it’s shitty because I actually have to go down there to talk to James about something. There’s no way I’m talking to him,” Angelica butted in. Then her eyes narrowed at her youngest sister. “You like John…” 

Peggy spluttered. “I-no! I don't like him. I just think he’s fine…” 

Angelica waved her off. “Whatever. Can you call him and ask if you can go down and get the papers James wanted printed?” Peggy made a sour face. 

“No can do, sis,” she apologized. “You know I need to get these pictures finished.” Angelica groaned and then her eyes landed on Alex. 

“You,” she said. “Call him.” It wasn’t a favor. She was telling him. “I’ll bring you to your desk and then you’ll call him. All I need is the papers from James, then you can come back.” Next thing he knew, Alex was being dragged by the arm and shown to a fairly large desk. He didn’t have time to admire it though. Angelica was immediately pointing at the phone. 

“Call. His office number is 358, don’t call 359, that’s Thomas’. Trust me. You don’t want to talk to him.” With that, Angelica left. 

Great… Alex now had to talk to someone who pretty much hated him probably. Not only that, but John was fairly close to George from what he knew. Alex gingerly sat down at his desk and dialed the number. _358…_

“Laurens' phone,” someone answered. It was John, Alex could tell. “How can I help?” 

“It’s Alexander Hamilton,” Alex replied, his mouth dry. “I need to pick up some papers from James Madison’s desk for Angelica Schuyler?” Alex heard shuffling. 

“Hamilton…” It sounded as if John was trying to remember who Alex was. Alex would’ve been offended, but really, he had no reason to be. “Madison... Schuyler? The eldest?” Alex nearly snorted. _Eldest_ , who says that anymore? Also who doesn’t know who you work with? 

“Yes,” Alex replied coolly. “The tallest one. Can I come down?” 

Alex heard John inhale. “Yes, I suppose. Madison is out shopping for some more ink, so I’ll meet you when you get off the elevator and bring you to his desk.” Then John hung up. It took a second for Alex to process what just happened. Madison was on a break… so John was going to meet instead… fuck. Alex had to talk to John. He was going to have a conversation with the devil. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to get this story up and running with a few chapters before adding to my others. Hope you enjoy!

The moment Alex stepped out of the elevator he nearly stopped breathing. John was leaning against a wall a couple feet away talking to Thomas, smiling like a genuine guy. Alex almost forgot how cute John looked, he was just blinded by everyone else’s opinions. God, John had a lot of freckles… his smile _was_ really nice… what about his laugh? Alex was getting distracted, then he realized he’d been staring because John noticed him and his complete demeanor changed. His shoulders stiffened and his smile dropped. He looked professional, super professional. 

“Hamilton,” John said as he stepped away from Thomas. Alex stepped out of the elevator and tried to smile. 

“John,” he said. “Thomas.” Thomas only gave him a weird look and walked in the opposite direction, disappearing behind a corner. John pretended to not notice how Alex was staring, and started walking towards the closest door to the elevator. He opened it and gestured inside. 

“This is Madison’s, go in,” he ordered. Alex hesitantly entered the room and noticed how neat everything was. There was a printer in the far corner, and a large desk beside it. Then there were paintings hanging up on every wall. One was even of James himself. Alex was amazed. 

“This,” he started. “This is a large room.” He was going to comment on the paintings, but he decided not to. John made a noise, as if he didn’t exactly agree with him. “What?” 

“Nothing,” John replied. “Just, this is one of the smallest rooms on our floor.” Alex was confused by that. 

“Oh… why did he choose it?” 

“If there’s enough rooms open, you can pay for an upgrade,” John explained casually. “How’s your room?” Alex thought back to when Angelica forced him to his desk, then he realized he didn’t even notice he’d been in an office. It was… large. 

“Mine’s quite big actually,” Alex said, trying to make it sound like he was boasting. He caught John’s look of annoyance and looked away. “I mean… it’s nice.” John shot him a skeptical look but kept quiet. 

“Okay,” he said. “Get your papers and then get the fuck out.” That caught Alex by surprise. Did John just, tell him to get the fuck out? That wasn’t very professional… or kind as George had said earlier. 

Alex stuttered. “I-I hardly doubt that’s appropriate office language.” But John paid no mind, he was already out the door. He was lingering in the hallway, talking to someone. Then Alex realized it was Thomas. Damn… those guys really were dicks. Alex made his way to James’ desk and tried to look for the papers Angelica told him about. _Aha,_ there they were. Alex picked the papers up and moved to leave, then stopped when a crumpled up paper fell to the ground. Alex looked up, John wasn’t paying attention. Alex leaned over and picked the paper up, then slowly uncrumpled it. It was addressed to “Mads,” whoever that was. Honestly, who wrote letters these days? The format did look more like an email… it was probably printed out from a computer for some reason. 

_Mads,_

_I do hope you’re checking your email, for this is a very important update on the well-beings of your position along with Jack’s. I did some digging as you requested and found some things about the past of The New York Legacy far before you earned a job. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack didn’t already know about my findings though, as he has known Washington for a considerable amount of time. It would be best if you two could meet me in person, as for emails can easily be seen by the wrong people…_

_Anyways, on a more cheery matter, I heard of the new recruitment Washington did earlier this week. Alexander Hamilton, I’ve heard. I again did some findings on this man. He’s young, 22. Not much younger than Jacky, though. Speaking of Jack, his 24th birthday is coming up and I’m debating on whether we should celebrate it this year. Last year didn’t exactly go as planned, I don’t want him spiraling into that state again. Back to Hamilton, he hasn’t had a stable job in years, I wouldn’t count on him staying. I also did some research on his background. Came from the Caribbean, Puerto Rican. Maybe he’ll get along with Jack, we all know he could use someone other than us. I do believe you should keep an eye on the third floor for I’m growing su-_

“What the fuck are you doing?” Alex immediately flinched away from the paper and dropped it, watching it falling slowly to the office floor. Then he looked back up to see a towering John Laurens, who was glaring at him. Thomas Jefferson was just behind his shoulder, examining the scene. 

“Well, well, the new recruit is already looking through other’s desks,” Thomas smirked. John gave him an exasperated look before walking up in front of Alex, who tried to keep eye contact. 

“Tell me,” John said slowly. “What’s so important about that paper that made you want to pick it up and read it? Especially since it was crumpled up.” Oh.. John knew exactly what that paper was. Which meant it wasn’t just because Alex had been snooping, but because it was a serious matter that clearly wasn’t meant for him. 

“It just… rolled on the desk,” Alex defended weakly. “I’m sorry.” John scoffed, he seemed to do that a lot, and looked over his shoulder. 

“¿Qué crees que deberia hacer? No creo que Washington sea muy feliz.” That, that really surprised Alex. He would’ve made it much more clear he was surprised if he wasn’t in trouble. John spoke Spanish, and apparently so did Thomas. 

Before Thomas could respond Alex interfered. “No creo que sea una buena idea decirle.” Alex felt proud when both other men in the room looked at him with surprise, even if the looks immediately turned into a disgusted scowl. 

John resisted the urge to punch Alex. “Ich wollte ihm eine Chance geben, aber das hat es nur ruiniert.” The words fell so eloquently from John’s mouth, that Alex was so entranced by it, he didn’t exactly pay attention to what language it was. 

Thomas nodded. “Ehrlich gesagt weiß ich nicht, warum Washington ihn eingestellt hat. Er scheint bisher wie ein Schwanz.” German. That’s what it was. Sadly, Alex didn’t know that language, he could only watch in awe as the two spoke in their own language. John moved closer to Alex, but only to reach over on James’ desk and pick up the phone. He dialed something and waited. 

“Washington?” John’s voice called. “Yes, I wanted to talk to you about Alex and why yo-oh, uh… was that now? He didn’t realize.” Alex wanted to smile at how flabbergasted John looked right now. “I know the meeting was important, I’m sure he just didn’t have it written down.” John then turned around and looked desperately at Thomas, who was looking at him with confusement. “You had a meeting with Washington ten minutes ago?” John mouthed with wide eyes. Then Thomas stiffened and immediately bolted, probably to look for Washington. “I’m still here… yes, I told him. He’s on his way to your office… I suppose I could wait to tell you until after, since the meeting’s very important. Mhm, no thank you, Washington.” John suddenly looked a lot younger when he placed the phone back. 

Alex dared to push. “You looked exhausted and stressed,” he commented dryly. Instead of lashing out, John just nodded and leaned against the desk. Alex also noticed how close they were. 

“Comes with the job,” John muttered. Then his eyes met Alex’s. “I’m sorry if I come off as a dick… the new position Washington has given me just makes me question everything…” 

“What do you mean by that?” 

John looked away. “You know everyone on the third floor hates me… it’s because I’m from the south, come from a republican family, and mostly hang out with Jefferson and Madison… who aren’t bad people by the way,” John added quickly. Then his face dropped. “And because my father is a senator who goes against almost everyone’s views here.” Suddenly Alex put the dots together and gasped quietly, causing John’s head to shoot up. 

“You’re a Laurens,” Alex gaped. “As in, Henry Laurens. Your father is a senator in South Carolina…” John nodded, sullen that Alex made the connections. “Not that that’s bad, because as long as you don’s support his views or an-” 

“I don’t,” John shot out, suddenly tensing up and stepping away from Alex. “Sorry… again, I sound like such a dick.” Alex didn’t protest at that. 

“You know, those workers on the third floor, they told me that you were really republican and stuff,” Alex noted. John laughed bitterly at that. 

“That’s because they know my father, they don’t know _me_.” 

Silence. 

“Peggy Schuyler likes you,” Alex added quietly. “She seems to be the only one who’s willing to give you a chance.” John actually smiled at that. 

“I’ve known her for a while. Never bothered to talk to her sisters, I already know what they think of me,” John said gently, smiling at the thought of Peggy. “I’ve actually been friends with her for years. Well, more acquaintances. This is the first year we’ve hung out outside of work.”

Alex relaxed, thinking he’d finally found common ground for them to talk about. John didn’t really seem to be bothered by what the others thought of him as long as they kept politics out of the problem. “I think she _really_ likes you,” Alex said without thinking, ignoring the way it made his heart ache for some reason. Alex didn’t know if that was the right thing to say, but when John actually laughed a little he felt at ease. 

“I’m sure you think that,” John responded lightly. Alex loved the way his voice sounded. It was soft and made his heart flutter... but this was real life, not a story. Not every cute guy you met was gay. 

Alex suddenly felt challenged by John’s statement. “What does that mean?” John shrugged. 

“I don’t know if I’d expect you to understand,” he replied simply. Alex was getting a bit annoyed now. John was thinking of him lower than him... of course this nice guy facade wasn’t real. He just wanted to gain Alex’s trust. John must’ve noticed how the tension had seeped its way back into the conversation and reddened. “I’m sorry, that was incredibly rude... I’m just assuming things now, aren’t I?” Alex was confused, he really was. 

“I’m sure if I knew what you were talking about I would be offended, but I’m a bit confused on what you’re referring to,” Alex admitted. He saw how John’s face reddened even more... and was that a blush? 

“What I’m trying to say is... uh, I’m not sure if she’d want me telling you this,” John felt conflicted with himself. “Peggy’s gay, so unless she thinks of me as a girl, I’m pretty sure your theory is incorrect. And if she did think me of one, then that would be really fucked up considering what I’ve to-” John cut himself off and suddenly looked more serious. Older. The young John was gone, the professional, southern guy was back.

“John?” Alex said hesitantly. 

“Call me Laurens,” John replied back, no hint of kindness in his voice. “I still believe punishment is to be made for you looking through Madison’s desk... that’ll be up to Washington, so until then, go back to the third floor and gossip with your friends.” Then he left. Alex was shocked. 

  
  


“Peggy?” Alex called out to the youngest Schuyler. It was almost eleven, the time lunch was about to start. Everyone was starting to pack up their work to leave for the break, except for Peggy, who was typing furiously on her computer. She looked up. 

“Alex,” she smiled. “What can I do for ya?” Alex shifted and looked towards the elevator, as if he was expecting someone. 

“I wanted to talk to you about some things... could we do it during lunch?” Alex offered. His face fell when Peggy made an apologetic face and hissed a little. 

“I can’t, sorry, Alex... I’m meeting with John to go over those copies he’s made,” Peggy explained quickly. Alex was about to nod in understanding when something hit him. John said that Peggy and him had been friends for years... work was the only way they could hang out sometimes if no one knew they were friends. They had to have excuses to talk to each other... such as going over work plans. 

“That’s actually perfect,” Alex brightened. “I can talk to both you and John. He’s actually what I wanted to talk about.” Peggy looked rather uncomfortable and turned on her computer, then stood up. 

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We’re going over some articles that we’ve spent days on. It’s not exactly something a new recruit would find exciting,” Peggy tried to convince. Alex only pushed. 

“Look, Peggy... I know you and John are friends, he told me.” Peggy looked taken aback for a moment and Alex felt bad. He was imposing his company on people he’d never met before. He tried to apologize. “I mean... no is no, I-we can talk about this later, yes?” Alex tried again. Luckily Peggy recovered and smiled again, but it wasn’t as happy as before. 

“No... if he told you then it should be fine,” Peggy debated. “I’m supposed to meet him in his office.” Ten minutes later Alex was sitting in a seat beside Peggy, John staring intensely at both of them behind his desk. It took a good couple moments for someone to speak. 

John focused his attention to Peggy. “When I said we had to meet, I meant alone. Not with the new recruit.” Despite John being a bit upset, his voice didn’t show it. Peggy was his only friend from the third floor, so he was incredibly grateful to her. 

Peggy looked at her friend apologetically. “I tried to tell him. But he really wanted to join us and talk to me about, well, you.” With that information John gave Alex a strange look, which made Alex redden a little. He didn’t exactly think this plan through. 

“Just wanted to make new friends,” was all Alex said. Both Peggy and John looked at him suspiciously, but dropped it after a few seconds. Peggy pulled out some chips from her bag and John already had a half eaten sandwich on his desk, which he continued to eat. Alex had a salad, which he looked at with disgust. He’d bought it from the cheapest section he could find. It wasn’t exactly as appetizing hours later. Alex looked at John’s sandwich. “Where did you buy that?” It was an odd question, especially for the awkward tension that was already in the room. 

John didn’t react, just finished chewing his bite, took another one, swallowed, and looked up at Alex a bit threateningly. “I made it.” Short answer, but Alex knew not to push it. The three finished up their lunches and Alex was about to start asking some questions but John quieted him and pulled up some folders. “So, Peggy, I was thinking for the outline of the pictures-” 

“Wait,” Alex looked at John. “You guys are actually going over work?” He had not expected that. John just rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair, tired of the new recruit. Peggy also looked a bit worn down, but she managed a tight smile.

“Might as well get some work done when we hang out,” she replied. Then she turned back to John, who was sitting in his seat impatiently. “I do like the way the outline looks, and you’ve already made the copies. Do you mind if I take a look at them one last time?” John nodded and pushed the folders across his clean desk. Alex just shifted in his seat awkwardly. Maybe he should leave... Alex leaned over to look at the copies and saw the header for the first page, _Senator is Outraged at News of Freedom for All._ Alex immediately got drawn in and started reading, then gave Peggy a thankful look when she pulled out another copy and handed it to him. 

**_Senator is Outraged at News of Freedom for All_ **

_“We need to take action on those who think they can change the rules that were given to us by our creator,” says the senator._

_Weeks ago a protest took place in South Carolina, it was for the cause of freedom for all. Many teens and young adults took place in a large rally just outside their senator’s building, waving signs and angrily stating that everyone deserved the same rights. Discrimination shouldn’t be an option at this point. The protest quickly escalated, the police showed up with armed guns. Luckily no shots rang out, no one died and no one was injured. But the reaction the senator gave rioted the group even more. Three days ago another protest started, Martha Laurens being the ringleader. What’s the most shocking part? She protested against her own father, Senator Henry Laurens. When interviewed, the young Laurens explained how she knew what it was like to be discriminated against for who they were, and she saw the damage it could do to a kind soul. Tearfully, she added, “I just hope he knows he’s not alone.”_

_That last statement has lately blown up all through South Carolina, making its way all across the country. People are aching to know who “he” is, and is he in any immediate danger? No one has discovered who the young Laurens is talking about, but when he is revealed, he’ll have support from all around the nation._

_Back to the protest that happened days ago, sadly multiple were injured and two were killed by bystanders who thought the riots were ridiculous. What’s worse from all of this is that the killers of the victims are not being imprisoned, it’s being declared “self-defense.” Some other bystanders were interviewed on their thoughts of the outcome. “It’s bullshit,” one lady said angrily. When asked to clarify, she raised her wavering hand around her, to her home state in South Carolina. “That people feel the need to protest for their own rights. Everyone was born equal. We need a new government.”_

_Next an older man was asked what his thoughts on the scene was. He was angry as well, for a different reason. “These people think protesting against how they were made will make everything better. They just can’t admit that they’re born lower than us,” he said spitefully._

_Hopefully when this is all over, everyone will be happy with the outcome. Until then, we can only pray for those who lost lives and who are struggling._

  
  


Alex stared wide-eyed. He had heard of the protest that happened weeks ago. He heard very little of the protest that took place just days ago. He didn’t know that people were injured… that people died. Then Alex’s eyes shot up to John, who was scanning through the next page of the paper, no longer looking at the main news. Senator Henry Laurens, John’s father. Martha Laurens, his sister. How was he handling all of this? Surely his coworkers on the third floor knew of what he was going through… and which they did and just didn’t care? 

“It’s horrible, isn’t it?” Alex looked to the left of him. Peggy was staring at him sadly, looking at the paper. He nodded and scanned the front page again. He couldn’t believe it. 

“What is?” John spoke up, eyeing Alex. 

“What happened to that turtle,” Peggy said casually, turning to the third page. “This was hard to write about. It’s sad that people don’t care about animals anymore.” Alex looked at the page. It was dedicated to wild animals who were struggling in the wild due to human causes. It was horrible, not as horrible at the Laurens’ story… but bad. 

“You wrote all of this?” Alex asked, his mind still thinking about the protests. Peggy shook her head and leaned in her seat. 

“Not all of it. Angelica helped me write the second page, and John helped me with the first.” Of course John did, he knew all about it. “Why? What do you think we do here? Just gossip?” she teased. Alex blushed and leaned back into his chair, ignoring the way John kept on glancing at him. 

“N-no…” he stuttered. “Just… that’s a nice drawing of a turtle,” he changed the subject, looking at the sea turtle that’d be illustrated on the animal page. Peggy took a look at it and nodded in approval. 

“It is,” she commented. 

“Who does the drawing? Do you guys hire someone else?” 

“John does it,” Peggy replied. “He does all the artwork for our papers.” Alex gaped again. John was an artist-no, he was a _super_ good artist. He was the one who probably did all those paintings in James’ room. Then Alex remembered what Peggy said before. Angelica helped her write the paper, which meant she read the first page, which meant she knew about everything. But she still hates John. Why? 

“What would your sisters think of your friendship?” Alex questioned, putting his copy on John’s desk, who picked it up and placed it back in a folder. 

“I don’t believe this is relevant to anything,” John replied sharply. “Does everything look okay, Peggy?” His friend nodded. “Good. I can start uploading them online and set up the basket outside.” John stood up with his folders and nodded to Peggy. “I believe lunch break is over. I’ll see you soon.” Then he left. Alex mentally kicked himself. John already hated him for going through his friend’s stuff, now he thought he was a nosy guy, to which he was. 

“I believe we should go up to our floor now, shouldn’t we?” Peggy suggested, standing up from her desk and picking up her lunch. Alex copied her motions but stopped her at the door. 

“I do hope that we can be friends,” Alex said. He saw how Peggy glanced away nervously, as if she was nervous, she probably was. “I don’t care about you liking girls,” he added, Peggy then looked at him angrily and stepped away. 

“It’s called being gay,” she corrected. “And honestly, I would rather you accept it than not caring about it.” Alex panicked again. 

“I’m gay!” he shot out. Dammit, he just loved confessing his sexuality in times of panic. “I… your sister, Eliza, she’s gay also… sorry, I probably seem like a really big weirdo or something right now…” Peggy’s face dropped and she looked apologetic. 

“No, I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I also assume the worst in people… to be honest with you, not a lot of people in the office are straight.” She smiled. Alex tilted his head. 

“Like who?” 

“Well… me, you, Eliza… I do believe Lafayette is questioning some things, Hercules is bi, Thomas and James are dating, so obviously the-” 

“Wait, Thomas and James? They’re together?” Alex asked confusingly. “Aren’t they republican or something?” Peggy sighed. 

“You should know by now, don’t listen to what my friends say all the time,” Peggy said gently, obviously referring to John. 

“What about John… is he straight?” Alex asked quietly. He saw how Peggy flinched at the question, then looked around. She leaned into Alex closely and whispered in his ear. 

“All my friends think he’s republican, they think he’s a dick, and his father is Henry Laurens… I have to let you think that out.” It didn’t help at all. Alex didn’t want to assume anything, but Peggy was right, he was going to have to figure it out himself. Or he could ask John himself, but God knows that won’t end well. 

  
  


“Sir, the story got out.” A flash of anger washed over his face before he calmed down. He stood up and picked up his phone. “Who are you calling?” 

“I’m calling my wonderful daughter.” 

“May I ask what your plan is?” 

“Of course.” He smiled. “I’m going to have her call her brother, and they’re going to have a wonderful chat on the topic of family, and if he’s going to have one at the end of this.” 

“That won’t end well.” 

“It never does.” 

A pause. “I’ll leave you to your call, Senator Laurens.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (they may be a bit inaccurate considering I used google translate, sorry in advance!): 
> 
> ¿Qué crees que deberia hacer? No creo que Washington sea muy feliz. = What do you think I should do? I don't think Washington would be very happy.  
> No creo que sea una buena idea decirle. = I don't think it's a good idea to tell him.  
> Ich wollte ihm eine Chance geben, aber das hat es nur ruiniert. = I wanted to give him a chance, but that just ruined it.  
> Ehrlich gesagt weiß ich nicht, warum Washington ihn eingestellt hat. Er scheint bisher wie ein Schwanz. = I honestly don't know why Washington hired him. So far it seems like a dick.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! comments are welcomed. dont forget, if you have a preference to whether the paragraphs are stretched or compacted, i would love to hear it. im trying to debate on what i should have it be for the rest of the story. 
> 
> :D


End file.
